Multiple Paternity and Breeding System in the Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus Polyphemus
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-17-2006
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esj017
Abstract
Little is known about the reproductive behaviors and the actual outcomes of mating attempts in the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus). We examined the mating system and reproductive behaviors of a population of gopher tortoises in central Florida. Using microsatellite markers, we assigned fathers to the offspring of seven clutches and determined that multiple fathers were present in two of the seven clutches examined. We found that gopher tortoises exhibited a promiscuous mating system with larger males fertilizing the majority of clutches. The advantage of larger males over smaller males in fertilizing females may be a result of larger males winning access to females in aggressive bouts with other males or larger males may be more attractive to females. Clutches produced by larger females tended to be sired by a single male, whereas clutches of smaller females tended to be sired by multiple males.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Journal of Heredity, v. 97, issue 2, p. 150-157
Scholar Commons Citation
Moon, Jamie C.; McCoy, Earl D.; Mushinsky, Henry R.; and Karl, Stephen A., "Multiple Paternity and Breeding System in the Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus Polyphemus" (2006). Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications. 142.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/bin_facpub/142
